Reclaiming Sensation
by PhantomsDaughter13
Summary: "The great art of life is sensation, to feel that we exist, even in pain." Slash: Spanner/Shouichi


Title: Reclaiming Sensation

Author: PhantomsDaughter13

Beta: Iwaveatyou87

Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn belongs to Akira Amano. If _I_ owned it, there would be less obnoxious girls, that is for sure.

Rating: **M**

Warning(s): **Explicit slash**;. If this bothers you, than feel free to leave. I will only laugh at flames of this nature because I know you secretly liked it ;)

Pairing(s): Spanner/Shouichi

This is my first "published" slash story, and my first story with graphic sex. If it seems awkward and poorly done, I deeply apologize.

I am thankful to the EXTREME for my wonderful beta for helping me through my blatant stupidity. I don't know what I would do without her.

Spanner/Shouichi is one of our favorite pairings, and there isn't a whole lot of them to be seen here on ff.n. Hopefully I portrayed them right :)

* * *

The sound of typing filled up the huge, yawning space that the Merone base had once occupied. The floor gleamed dully beneath the huge, white machine, light from vivid glare of their laptop screens reflecting vaguely upon the surface. The edges of the floor were ragged, broken, a solitary piece of a puzzle that was once much larger, left behind and lonely in its incompleteness.

Spanner leaned back, popping a wrench shaped strawberry lollipop out of his mouth as he re-read his work, sharp green eyes taking in each virtual word, each piece of data. His weight was resting fully upon his left hand, flat upon the floor. His lower back was aching from sitting hunched on the unyielding floor for hours upon end, little sparks of pain making themselves known now that he was becoming aware of his surrounding again.

The air was cool. He could feel the lateness of day, even as far below the surface as they were, as well as the chill of the concrete on his hand, devoid of his gloves to allow more movement and freedom.

It was always interesting to come back to his senses after being thrust so deeply into concentration while working. The itchiness of his eyes was returning, brought on from hours of staring at a computer screen in the dark in addition to lack of sleep.

The skin on his palm and fingertips relished the cold of the floor, hot from the heat of the keyboard and the rapid motion of typing. The sudden change in temperature caused his nerves to numb slightly before taking in the cold, winding its way up his hand and through his wrist. He brought up one knee in an effort to relieve some pressure from his lower back, stretching the limb in the process.

What time was it, anyway?

Glancing at the corner of his screen, Spanner saw that it was half past two in the morning.

Time does fly when you aren't aware of such trivial things as minutes or hours anymore. Hadn't they started this new section around nine?

His stomach growled beneath his thin, white cotton shirt, and he looked around their workspace, blinking to get his eyes used to the dim light. Sitting a couple of feet away from the blond mechanic, safely kept away from the tangle of four different laptop chords, were two bento boxes that the young Vongola boss had dropped off earlier.

Spanner could never tire of Japanese food.

Reaching into his pocket to retrieve the plastic wrapping that he had removed from his lollipop earlier, he carefully rewrapped the sweet, setting it safely aside. Sitting up straight, he stretched up, head leaning back while his spine cracked back into alignment. Moving his neck back and forth gingerly to regain his normal movement, he leant over and grabbed the nearest box.

Opening the lid carefully, he perused what was left with quiet contemplation. They had finished up anything containing raw fish, and all that was left was a healthy amount of _onigiri_, packed neatly and efficiently into the right side of the box.

He picked up a rice ball and took a neat bite, chewing slowly as his eyes fell upon his companion, still working furiously at his own laptop, shoulders hunched in such a way that Spanner's own ached in sympathy.

Fiery red hair was in disarray over a pale face and emerald green eyes that were framed with thick black glasses. The lenses flashed opaque at times, reflecting what was appearing on the other man's laptop screen.

Irie Shouichi wore only a thin, blue cotton tee-shirt that provided no protection to his arms, which were covered in goose-bumps that he probably didn't even notice he had. Spanner himself had pulled the top to his jumpsuit back over his shoulders without zipping it at some point. The other man's jean-clad legs were crossed, and he hadn't moved an inch since they had gone back to work so many hours ago.

Shouichi was rather obsessive in his dedication to his work.

Spanner could relate to getting lost within his projects, but he always retained an inkling of what was going on around him; always aware enough to not let himself go too far. Shouichi did not know the meaning of moderation if it had to do with taking care of himself. He would work without food or sleep until whatever he was figuring out had a neat and tidy little answer. Then he would fall victim to his malnutrition and sleep deprivation. No wonder the poor guy had such bad anxiety, with a work ethic like his.

Spanner took another bite, chewing thoughtfully as he watched his fellow's hands race back and forth across his keyboard, wrists stiff and unmoving. He finished off his rice ball and swallowed, rubbing his hands together.

He pushed himself to his feet, taking a moment to stretch his legs fully before walking over to the red-head's side, kneeling down on one knee and clapping a hand on his shoulder, shaking gently but firmly.

"Shouichi. _Shouichi_."

The man started a little bit, looking up at the blond quickly without recognizing him. Spanner watched calmly as his eyes took a moment to clear, recognition and awareness lighting their depths.

"Spanner!" he said in surprise, blinking slightly behind his glasses. The mechanic could see the cogs reconfiguring in his head as he they tried to smooth his jarred reentry into reality. "Is there anything wrong?"

He shook his head.

"Nothing's wrong. We're taking a break to eat."

Shouichi shot him a quizzical look that became exasperated in a heartbeat. "Spanner, you know how important this is. We can't waste any time hiding the device. It is crucial we finish as quickly as possible."

"It won't do much good if you kill yourself in the process."

"You are being overly dramatic, and that is not the point."

Spanner chose not to respond, using his left hand to scoot the second bento box near the other man, removing the lid before settling it near his knee.

"I don't have any time to–" Any protests of his were cut off by a low grumbling from his stomach, causing his face to flush and his eyes to shut in dismay. Spanner just gazed at him steadily until he snatched a rice ball out of his box, eating it with much more spite than was really necessary.

The blond mechanic was fine with being completely mellow and impassive. However, he was could be just as stubborn as Shouichi was, minus the temper. If anything, it made it harder for people to say no to him. It was secretly something he was very proud of.

Shouichi was resentfully starting on his second rice ball, and Spanner picked out another of his own before joining him, the two eating in relative silence. They were on their fourth _onigiri_ when Shouichi sighed and lowered the rest of his uneaten portion back into the box.

"I'm sorry, Spanner, I know you're right." He began rubbing at his right wrist gingerly, bending it back and forth to relieve the ache that came from too much typing.

Spanner reached forward and drew the hand into both of his own, kneading the junction where hand met arm gently and efficiently. His fingers warmed against Shouichi's skin, the heat helping to work on the knots and stiffness.

"If you know I'm right, then you should know better than to argue." The other man chuckled softly, but his face quickly fell back into its serious, slightly anxious expression.

"Yes, I wonder why I even bother when there's really no saying 'no' to you."

Spanner didn't respond, just continued his ministrations until he felt the tension in the limb relax completely. He knew what to do, which places to apply more pressure, where to be more gentle. It was the same clinical type of attention that he'd obtained from fixing his Moscas. Setting it gently back onto Shouichi's leg, he grasped his left hand and started over again.

When he looked up after a good few minutes of silence, the red-head's eyes were hooded behind his glasses, green eyes gazing straight into his own. A few strands of deep red hair had fallen over his forehead and across his eyes.

He looked endearingly young.

Spanner couldn't help but wonder what he would have been like without the weight of every parallel world sitting painfully upon his shoulders, the safety of the universe and mankind resting in his hands, so fragile and in need of his protection. It would be easy to forget who you are, your own needs and wants and desires.

As much as Spanner preferred the world of robotics and machinery, he knew that there was something to be said about retaining humanity.

In the past, Shouichi's mental and physical health had rested on Spanner's quiet, undemanding presence.

The companionship of two men with a mutual love for technology had been an anchor of reality and clarity for the two of them. Shouichi, who so desperately hated being confined into his fictitious role, barely able to wear his Millefiore uniform or keep from falling into solitude with his headphones blaring, wouldn't have been able to keep his plan afloat without his sanity. At this time in the war, clear-headedness was more crucial than anything. Spanner knew this.

He could hear the quiet sounds of their breathing in the air, the atmosphere not nearly as chilled in their close proximity. Shouichi's skin was burning hot against his fingers.

Spanner leaned in slowly and kissed him, lifting his right hand and cupping the back of the other man's neck as he did so. Shouichi's left hand gripped his wrist desperately at the first touch of his lips, holding on as if his grip was the only thing keeping him from being swept away.

Spanner lifted his right hand and twined it in wild red hair, stroking the spot behind his ear gently with his thumb while he worried at Shouichi's lower lip with his teeth. He pulled back slightly, taking in Shouichi's flushed face and panting chest. He quickly untwined his hand, swiftly removed Shouichi's glasses, and set them safely aside. Shouichi made a quiet little noise at this, his clutch tightening even more as his vision was taken from him.

Spanner quickly moved back, shifting closer and kissing more heatedly, tongue quickly gaining access to Shouichi's mouth while his hand stroked and played with the other man's unruly hair before coming to rest at the nape of his neck.

Shouichi hesitantly released the death-grip he had on Spanner's wrist, moving it up the arm of his jumpsuit to grip at the fabric at his shoulder.

Their tongues danced and twined together, desperation for closer contact causing them to draw closer and closer together, oxygen deprivation making their heads spin intoxicatingly. They pulled back, foreheads resting against each other as they panted, green locked on green for a moment before sliding closed.

[This wasn't love.]

Spanner shifted, moving to sit behind Shouichi, spreading his legs to pull the other man tight against his chest. He rested one hand against a jean clad thigh, and the other he moved under the thin shirt, ghosting up the skin of a taught stomach, causing the muscles to shift and jump beneath his touch.

[Love was too abstract, too ephemeral of an emotion to mean anything real.]

Shouichi's hands clenched the fabric of the mechanic's pants tightly, head thrown back against Spanner's shoulder. He was trembling, and not with cold.

Spanner gently stroked up and down his abdomen, keeping the pressure light as Shouichi made soft, undistinguishable sounds, his hands spasmodically pulling and releasing the green fabric. The muscles in his back were tight, his neck straining to lean his head against the blond, his body not recalling how to handle this amount of stimulation after so long without.

"Relax, Shouichi," he said, pressing his hand against the other's chest. He could feel the racing of his heart, his pulse as fierce and fluttering as the beating wings of a hummingbird. "Relax."

This was companionship, mutual and exhilarating in its own right. This was a relationship between two individuals who gave and received comfort, respect, and trust. No flippant romance, no superfluous meaning involved. No red strings tied them together; no talk of fate and or destiny passed their lips, no loving endearments.

Little by little Spanner felt Shouichi force his body to relax into his hold, spine curving and muscles tremulous as they unclenched. He leaned his head back upon the blond's shoulder, baring his neck. Spanner ran a hand up the length of his body soothingly, up to the top of his throat and back down to his lower abdomen.

Spanner shifted the hand he had resting on Shouichi's thigh, drawing it up to meet the other at the waistband of Shouichi's jeans. He slowly but deftly unbuttoned the fastening, drawing down the zipper with his left hand while his right skimmed the newly bared sensitive skin. The other man gasped audibly, his crossed legs shifting and straightening out restlessly. His left hand clutched at Spanner's leg while his right grasped onto the blond's bicep as it shifted down the denim.

Shouichi was already breathless when he allowed Spanner to push down his jeans and his boxers, uncaring as they tangled around his ankles.

Spanner's hand was tender as it stroked the inside of his thigh as he sat back up, fingers leaving trails of white-hot fire on pale skin. Shouichi moaned deep in his throat, back arching at the sensation.

By the time Spanner gently took hold of his erection, Shouichi was already fully hard, his face and neck flushed red with heat. He alternated pressure and grip, quickening and slowing down as he took in the different reactions, deftly deciding on the perfect routine.

Stroking slowly with the pads of his fingers caused Shouichi's breath to hitch and his eyes to screw shut, hips straining in desperation for more contact. Curling his hand around and pulling in firm, long strokes caused him to moan and arch into his hand, head pressed into the side of Spanner's neck. Spanner could feel Shouichi's grip on his right arm quivering, unable to control the trembling of his muscles as the bolts of pleasure shooting through his veins rendered him helpless.

His skin was covered in a light sheen of sweat, and Spanner himself felt drops of his own slide down the side of his face to his neck. His own breath was coming in pants, Shouichi twisting and shifting in his lap causing flashes of pleasure of his own that he tried not to focus on, shutting his eyes and focusing on the motion of his hand. His left hand he had wrapped around Shouichi's waist, feeling every heave of his chest, every caught breath, every vibration of his moans.

"S-Spanner," Shouichi murmured, breathless. He could say no more as a gasp was instead wrenched from his throat, making him too winded to speak. The mechanic sped up his ministrations, spurred on by Shouichi's grip on his arm, the increased rhythm of his shallow breaths, the desperation straining his muscles.

Shouichi came with a low moan, head pressed deep into the crook of Spanner's neck while his back arched. He didn't breathe as wave after wave of his orgasm pulsed through his body, his grip tight as he was locked within a mixture of pain and pleasure. No thoughts of the hell they were currently trapped in were able to break though, and for that Spanner knew he had done the right thing.

Shouichi was boneless in his embrace, breath deepening as he slowly was brought back down from his high. The death grip he had on Spanner's arm loosened, and he lowered it to twine his fingers with the mechanic's. Spanner could still feel the hum of his pulse beating quickly through the veins. The blond kept his other arm wrapped around him, thumb running over the sweat-slicked skin.

Shouichi shifted, using his feet to kick off his shoes and the tangle of fabric that had collected at the bottom of his legs. When he was free, he turned in Spanner's grip, sitting up on his haunches. His raised his hands and shifted them through the other's hair, right hand twirling the one curl on the side of his head between his thumb and forefinger. His green eyes were smoldering, focused directly onto his own despite the lack of glasses.

He leaned in a kissed Spanner tenderly, chastely, but not without heat. Spanner hummed in response, his arms resting around the other's waist. Still shaking hands slid out of blond hair and down to the mechanic's neck, one hand stroking the dark lines of his tattoo.

The limbs continued their migration, moving under the open jumpsuit jacket on his shoulders and pushing back the fabric, pulling it down his back and off his arms. He moved back out of the circle of Spanner's arms, nudging the mechanic to shift his hips to pull off the bottom of his jumpsuit, efficiently removing the other's shoes before removing it entirely.

Both clothed in only thin tee-shirts, they quickly moved back together, the only shield they had against the cool air being the other's body heat. Shouichi took control of this second round, pressed tight against Spanner's chest. He shifted forward, lowering the other man to the hard ground, cradling his head in both hands. One bare leg was between both of Spanner's, tight against the other's groin which was aching with a need that had been long ignored.

Spanner allowed his hands to stroke the lines of Shouichi's body, following the path from chest to waist to hips and back up. He could feel is own control waning, his own hands falling prey to tremors as Shouichi moved to kiss and nip lightly at his neck, hands still warm and gentle in his hair. Eventually he could only grasp at the other's hips, eyes falling closed as blood pounded in his ears and breath became scarce.

One hand unwound itself from his hair, the other shifting to hold the entirety of his head in one palm. The second stroked the side of his face, the length of his neck, his chest, waist, stomach, and finally grasped onto him, causing Spanner to see stars behind the darkness of his eyelids. He gasped silently, lungs not taking any air as the wind was knocked out of him. His fingers clenched around Shouichi's hipbones, fingers digging in with bruising strength. The other didn't seem to care, his mouth kissing gently at the tattoo, tongue laving at the skin.

The hand between his legs was searing in its heat, the sensation almost indescribable as his train of thought was completely derailed. He could hear the sound of Shouichi's voice, low and quiet against the side of his neck. The vibration of it shot straight to his groin, his chest painfully tight as he tried to breathe. He could feel his heart racing in his ears, his entire body engulfed in the heat of Shouichi where he was pressed against him. The feeling of his fingers on his skin, the ghost of his breath, the knowledge that he could safely give himself over to this man…it made him dizzy.

He could feel the coiling of molten heat in his abdomen becoming unbearable, his hips pressing up as he felt himself losing control. He saw white, heard rushing in his ears, and he was _gone_.

When reality forced itself upon him once more, he could feel Shouichi's head resting in the crook of his shoulder. His wild red hair was tickling his tattoo, breath warm even through the fabric of his shirt. He slowly blinked his eyes open, staring up at the cavernous ceiling. He lifted a hand to wipe the sweat from his eyes and felt the other man shift, a hand coming rest on his chest.

Shouichi moved to rest against Spanner's side, looking him in the eyes. He bent to kiss him again, soft and sweet and undemanding. Spanner felt an unidentifiable sensation tighten his chest, and he pushed himself upright, drawing the other man close for a moment before letting go.

The sweat was drying upon his skin, making him feel clammy in his state of undress. He grabbed his discarded boxers and jumpsuit and pulled them on, leaving his shoes and socks off. His limbs felt slack, his muscles relaxed and sated. His mind, however, was clearer than it had been since they had started on their work in the first place, already thinking back to the program he had open, new ideas and theories forming with the rushing adrenaline that hadn't yet worn off.

He looked over at Shouichi who had already pulled his jeans back on, fingers combing through his hair in a vain attempt to put it back in order again. He grasped for his glasses, sliding them over his ears and settling the bridge on his nose. His cheeks were still flushed pink, and the rigid line of his shoulders had fallen back into normal alignment. His eyes were sparkling bright with thought, fixed back onto his computer screen as fresh life was given to his mind.

What they had wasn't love. There was no romance, no candles or rose petals. What they had was so much _more_ than something as flippant as love. There was no need to speak about it, no need to stake claim or give titles. They knew, understood without question, who they were, what they were, how they were needed to be.

Shouichi's nimble hands were already back to typing at his laptop, which he had lifted onto his legs. Spanner moved back to his own spot, contentedly unwrapping his lollipop and placing it back in his mouth as he scrolled through the numbers and letters that filled his screen.

He could feel himself focusing back into the virtual world of his work, the temperature and hard feeling of the floor beneath him fading to the very back of his consciousness. Before he allowed himself to fall too far, his eyes flicked up from his screen to the other man. Their eyes met for a split second, green locked on green, warmth and gratitude discreet, but still understood.

No words were needed. They were unstated, a fact about their lives that was unnecessary to be brought up due to their permanency. At this point in time, in the middle of a battle that will end in either their salvation or destruction, Shouichi needed grounding. The guilt of the reality they lived in weighed heavy on his heart, but there was nothing to relieve it except for success.

Spanner will help Shouichi fight without allowing him to lose himself completely in the process. Their lives were uncertain and their deaths could come at any time, but they both knew and understood this. None of that mattered. They knew their parts in this game, and they would play them until there were no more moves left to take.


End file.
